- The Cleveland Browns travel to Pittsburgh to renew their rivalry with the Steelers on Monday Night Football.
- Who should be in the Captain slot for your DFS team?
- Matt LaMarca breaks down the relevant DFS options using the FantasyLabs Tools, Projections, and Player Models.
NFL Week 17 wraps up with a Monday Night Football showdown between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers at 8:15 p.m. ET.
In this article, I’ll be using various FantasyLabs tools and other industry metrics to break down the slate.
And don’t forget to check out our Lineup Builder if you like to hand build your lineups or our Lineup Optimizer for those of you that like to enter multiple lineups into tournaments.
Studs
This AFC North rivalry always has plenty at stake, but this game matters a whole lot more for the Steelers than the Browns. The Browns have already been eliminated from playoff contention, while the Steelers keep their hopes alive with a win. They would still need to win next week and get some help, but the Steelers can only make the playoffs if they win on Monday.
With that in mind, it’s not surprising that the public has flocked to the Steelers in this matchup. They’ve received 96% of the spread dollars, which has caused this line to jump to Steelers -3.0.
However, the most expensive player in this matchup plays for the Browns. That would be Nick Chubb, who has turned in another impressive season. He’s averaged 5.5 yards per carry – his fourth straight season averaging at least 5.0 – and a career-high 95.3 rushing yards per game. He’s also racked up nine total touchdowns.
The only thing that Chubb doesn’t really do is catch passes out of the backfield. That’s a pretty major flaw from a fantasy perspective. He’s racked up four targets or fewer in each game this season, which has kept him from joining the truly elite fantasy backs. He ranks just ninth at the position in PPR points per game, despite the fact that he’s one of the best pure runners in the league.
Still, that doesn’t figure to be a huge issue vs. the Steelers. They’ve been an elite matchup for running backs this season, ranking just 30th in Football Outsiders rush defense DVOA. Chubb owns an Opponent Plus/Minus of +1.3 on DraftKings, which is tied for the third-highest mark in our NFL Models.
